Cristiano Ronaldo Was Left in Tears by Ruud van Nistelrooy During Manchester United Training Session
It’s no secret that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time, but it’s less well-known that he had a tough time during his early days at Manchester United. In fact, former teammate Louis Saha has revealed that Ruud van Nistelrooy left Ronaldo in tears during a training session.
Ronaldo, who was just 18 years old at the time, was still adjusting to life at Old Trafford and was being pushed to his limits by the likes of Van Nistelrooy. Saha, who was also part of the Red Devils’ squad during that period, revealed that the Dutch forward would often argue with Ronaldo and other players during training sessions.
"I’m sure Ruud regrets some of his words," Saha said. "Cristiano was just an animal. I don’t know if you can say that he was a human! You could see from when he was 18 or 19 that this guy was not normal."
The argument that led to Ronaldo’s tears occurred during a particularly intense training session, just after his father’s passing. Van Nistelrooy’s words of criticism, which were not meant to be taken seriously, came at a bad time and left Ronaldo feeling emotional.
Saha also praised Ronaldo’s work ethic, stating that he was always pushing himself to be better and was willing to put in the extra effort required to succeed at the highest level.
"These players who have all the ability recognise that it’s also about working harder than anyone – not just talent," Saha said. "The top seeds in tennis don’t hit the ball better or have better technique; no, they work harder than anyone, and Cristiano did that."
Despite the challenges he faced during his early days at Manchester United, Ronaldo went on to enjoy an incredibly successful career with the club, winning numerous trophies and breaking numerous records along the way.
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